Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday, May 23, he visited troops on the front lines.
Without giving a specific location, Zelenskyy posted on Telegram a series of photos alongside members of the military.
“Our defenders. Frontline. Today I am here to congratulate our warriors on the Day of the Ukrainian Marines,” Zelenskyy said.
“On his return from a foreign visit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the front line positions of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Vugledar-Maryinka defense line in Donetsk region,” the presidency said in a statement.
The Ukrainian leader has made several trips to the front lines since Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year.
In recent weeks, his travels have been to European capitals to secure new pledges of military aid and make the case for allies sending advanced warplanes to aid Ukrainian forces.
United States (US) Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said “it will take several months at best” to decide on supplying F-16s to Ukraine.
Speaking with reporters with the Defense Writers Group in Washington on Monday, Kendall said the F-16s “will give the Ukrainians an interim capability they don’t have right now, but it’s not going to be a dramatic game changer.”
He said, “airpower has not been a decisive factor so far,” citing the effectiveness of ground-based air defense systems. “The F-16s are going to help the Ukrainians, but it’s not going to fundamentally change that equation,” he remarked.
War crimes tribunal
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly on Monday unanimously recognized Russia’s crimes against Ukraine as genocide, striking “a diplomatic victory [for Ukraine with] far-reaching political consequences,” said Yehor Cherniev, the head of Ukraine’s delegation at the assembly in Luxembourg.
“This is our diplomatic victory. All of our key wishes regarding the final text of the declaration have been taken into account,” Cherniev said.
The declaration includes support for an international tribunal for Russian war crimes, a pledge to help Ukraine achieve victory, a commitment to restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the implementation of further sanctions, and an aid program similar to the Marshall Plan to help restore the country’s economy.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy hailed the declaration from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
“Things are called what they are: a clear recognition of Russia’s crimes against our country as genocide, a clear condemnation of ruscist ideology,” he said. “This is the right basis for other international organizations as well.”
National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. – gb
